EU pay gender gap put at 17.4 percent

BRUSSELS, March 4 (UPI) -- European working women receive an average of 17.4 percent less pay than men, statistics released Wednesday indicate.

In an EU report released ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday, statistics from across the European Union's 27 member states show Estonia with the biggest gender gap at 30.3 percent and Italy with the lowest gap at 4.4 percent, the EU Observer reported.

In addition to Estonia, the pay gaps are highest in Austria, Slovakia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Germany, while after Italy, the smallest pay gaps were found in Malta (5.2 percent) and Poland (7.5 percent) but EU officials cautioned those countries also have the smallest percentages of women in the workforce.

Employers undervalue women's work, while stereotyping and problems with balancing work and private life are causing the gender pay gaps, officials said.

"Tackling (the situation) requires action at all levels and a commitment from everyone concerned, from employers and trade unions to national authorities and every citizen," EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla told the Observer.